898 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



lbs. corn meal and 6 lbs. of cut alfalfa bay tbrougbout tbe winter. At tbe end 

 of tbe fiftb week, when tbe sows began to farrow, the average weight was lit ',4 

 lbs. "These sows kept in fine condition, farrowing during February and 

 March, and saved large litters in every case. They were fed a ration one-half 

 corn or barley and one-half alfalfa while suckling pigs. 



" These several experiments, including 113 animals in all, give excellent proof 

 of the high nutritive value of alfalfa supplemented by a small corn ration." 



Experiments on the rational feeding of army horses, H. van de Venne 

 {Rapport xur des experiences d'alivnentation rationelle du cheval de troupe. 

 Brussels: H. Lamertin, 1905; rev. in Gentol. Agr. CJieiu., S.) (1905), No. 12, m>- 

 825-829). — The possibility of substituting for oats a commercial feed made up 

 of 60 per cent molasses, 20 per cent corn feed, and 20 per cent linseed meal 

 was studied .with horses belonging to the military and war school at Brussels. 



Judged by tbe weight of the animals, the author concluded that the normal 

 ration made up of 5.5 kg. oats, 0.6 kg. bran, 3.0 kg. hay, and 0.2 kg. chopped 

 straw was sufficient for their needs. When about half the oats was replaced 

 with the molasses feed somewhat greater gains were made than on the normal 

 ration. The molasses ration had no marked effect on the amount of water 

 consumed. 



The influence of crushing- on the digestibility of oats, L. Grandeau (Jour. 

 Agr. Prat., n. ser., 10 (1905), No. 51, j>i>- 777-779, fig. 1). — According to the 

 author's investigations crushing oats increases their digestibility when fed to 

 horses. He states that they have been fed with satisfactory results for some 

 years by the Paris Cab Company and have effected a decided saving. 



Report of manager of the poultry department, W. R. Graham (Ann. Rpt. 

 Ontario Agr. Cot. and Expt: Farm, 31 (1905). pp. 228-239, fin*. J).— The class- 

 room work in poultry and the general treatment of the college breeding stock 

 are discussed, and experimental work with incubators, with poultry houses, and 

 with different rations for fattening chickens is reported. 



Many of the incubator chickens were affected with white diarrhea, and it 

 seemed possible that incubators operated in badly ventilated rooms were the 

 cause, though the experiments undertaken did not lead to definite conclusions. 

 However, well-ventilated rooms which are not very moist, an even temperature 

 for the incubators, and fresh air for the chickens from the first day of hatching 

 are recommended, as well as healthy eggs from vigorous stock and the avoidance 

 of sloppy foods. Scalded milk, boiled rice, and rice water are. in the author's 

 opinion, at times excellent preventives for this trouble, which was apparently 

 not of bacterial origin. 



When different sorts of poultry houses were tested, " the use of straw over- 

 head was effectual in keeping the houses dry. The coldest house . . . proved 

 to be the most satisfactory in both the number of eggs produced, the fertility of 

 the eggs, and also in the general health of the birds. . . . Grass runs at the 

 north of the houses are not equal to runs on the south, especially in the late 

 autumn when the wind blows in one door and out of the opposite." 



The rations used for fattening chickens are described, and the results obtained 

 with a number of rations mixed with sweet skim milk, sour skim milk, whey, 

 and water are given, 10 lots of 12 chickens each being used and the test cover- 

 ing 3 weeks. A ration of equal parts corn meal, oatmeal, and shorts mixed with 

 whey was the cheapest, a pound of gain costing 4 cts. A mixture of equal parts 

 of ground corn, oats, and barley mixed with water was the dearest, a pound of 

 gain costing 12.34 cts. The grain required per pound of gain was also greatest 

 with this ration, being 10.73 lbs. The smallest amount, 2.5 lbs., was required 

 with equal parts of shorts, corn meal, and oatmeal, with 25 per cent of beef 

 scrap and mixed with water. 



